Bucs Will Look to Add Playmakers

The hot topic this off-season for the Bucs has been about adding more weapons for Jameis and the offense. Well today Bucs Gm Jason Licht spoke in front of the media at the NFL Scouting Combine and started it off by saying this per Gregg Rosenthal.

Bucs GM Licht: we want to add playmakers. (I expect them to be very active in FA)

— Gregg Rosenthal (@greggrosenthal) March 1, 2017

It sure seems like Licht agrees with the fans in that this team needs more weapons around Winston and the offense. I believe the Bucs will be aggressive in free agency and the draft but will be smart and focus on value as well. The team needs to add players with more speed, someone who can be a game changer, especially at the RB or WR position. The Bucs have Mike Evans and Cam Brate but need more around them to become a more complete offense. The NFL is about big plays and last year the Bucs offense didn't have enough, so look for the team to look for players that can make defenders miss and create big plays. This is why I believe the Bucs will target FA WR Desean Jackson once free agency begins as he brings speed and big play ability plus being a great number 2 next to Mike Evans. Others that I think the Bucs look at include S Tony Jefferson, DE/DT Calais Campbell, WR Cordarrelle Patterson, TE Jack Doyle and S Duron Harmon. These are players I can see the Bucs targeting to help fill needs and add depth.

Again not expecting the Bucs to sign every free agent, but similar to last year in which they will add four to five which will include some high level starters. This team is very close and I think Jason Licht understands that and will be aggressive in his efforts to improve the personnel. In addition, this year's draft has good depth at positions that the Bucs need to add to which should help this team take that next step if the proper moves are made. I will say this if the Bucs can add a Desean Jackson, then in the draft pick up a combo of TE D.Njoku, WR C.Henderson, and RB K.Hunt, the Bucs would become instant playoff contenders. Only eight days away till free agency begins, lets hope Licht and his staff come out throwing the heat.

Is it Time to go All in?

With the off-season about to get into full swing in a few weeks, many Bucs fans are talking about what direction this team should take. Personally Im excited to see what route Bucs Gm Jason Licht decides to take as the last two off-seasons he has built the foundation through the draft while adding key depth and role players through free agency. The question I ask now, "is it time to go all in"? I say yes and no as I believe it is time to be more aggressive in free agency and the draft as long as it is what is best for the team. With expectations growing, along with the core players having more experience and are now ready to take that next step, it might be time to speed up the process and go for it all.

I expect Licht to follow what he did last off-season in terms of re-signing his own, adding good starters/role players via free agency and then finding core players through the draft. The big topic has been about adding more weapons on offense in which the unit had some setbacks and could be much better with a few more pieces to work with. With that being said, I would like to see the Bucs go after these positions via free agency: WR, DL, DB and perhaps OL. Then go after those positions in the draft as well including the RB and TE position which are probably the two deepest positions in this years draft.

The Bucs did this last year by adding CB Brent Grimes and DE Robert Ayers via free agency and then went on to draft CB Vernon Hargreaves and DE Noah Spence. This allowed Hargreaves and Spence to grow into their roles and eventually became big pieces of the defense in their rookie years. At the same time, the defense got instant impact from Grimes and Ayers whom both helped this defense become one of the better units in the league down the stretch of the 2016 season. Now the Bucs can do the same on offense this year by adding some impact players via free agency.

Some names I like for WR are Desean Jackson, Kenny Stills, and Pierre Garcon. Any of those 3 would be a big help then in addition add a guy like Cordarrelle Patterson to help with special teams and the team instantly becomes more dynamic. Then add some pieces to the defense by going after a Dontari Poe or even Calais Campbell to help the front four, and then go after a playmaking safety in either Eric Berry or Tony Jefferson to help solidify the secondary. If the Bucs could pull off some of these moves and then go into the draft and double down on a few of these positions there depth would be tremendously improved. So will the Bucs go all in? Is it time Bucs fans to go for more than just making the playoffs?

Bucs Need to Add Multiple Receivers

So far the discussion among Bucs fans has been what is this team going to do as far as adding more weapons for Winston and this offense. I am of the mindset that Bucs Gm Jason Licht is going to add multiple receivers this off-season just like he did with the corner position in 2016. There are many ways he could address it as there are options in free agency or the draft to choose from. I think Licht dips into both pools as he will sign a free agent Wr and draft one early to help Jameis and Mike Evans on offense.

Here at realbucstalk, we have already identified one free agent target and that would be Cordarrelle Patterson whom would bring much needed speed and big play ability. As for the draft, main targets will be Corey Davis who could be the Bucs pick at 19th overall. Other options would be Taywan Taylor, Dede Westbrook, Juju Smith Schuster and Isaiah Ford just to name a few. Taking a look at the Bucs current receiver group, we got Evans and  Humphries, while Shepard and Huff I would bring back.

Now If Licht can add a Patterson and Davis to the mix, that is a major upgrade to the receiving corps. Davis could instantly jump into the number 2 position while Patterson could rotate in as the slot/4th Wr to add more speed on the field. This would open things up for Mike Evans and Cam Brate and provide Jameis with more options to work with. Much like the corner position, look for Licht to add multiple receivers this off-season in efforts to bring more explosiveness to the offense. Hopefully the receiver position can become a strength much like the corner position did in 2016.

The Only Free Agent Wide Receiver The Bucs Should Sign

by Douglas O'Connor
follow me on Twitter @Ren_Daxt

     A mini-miracle has occurred here at Real Bucs Talk, we all agree on something! Michael, Mark and myself all think the Buccaneers should go after only one wide receiver during the 2017 free agency period and we feel it needs and has to be Cordarrelle Patterson.

     Patterson was a 1st round draft pick of the Minnesota Vikings back in 2013. After a very promising rookie season his numbers dipped slightly in his second season, only to fall into Norv Turner's doghouse in 2015 and rarely saw the field. Cordarrelle redeemed himself this past season and put up comparable numbers to his first year, even with a mid-season change of his offensive coordinator.

     At first look Patterson's number gives the appearance of a solid number 2 or a productive slot receiver. If you take out the 2015 season (2 catches for 10 yards), Cordarrelle averaged 43 catches for 435 yards with just over 2 touchdowns per year. Nothing to get excited about for sure, but if you look a little deeper Patterson's real value becomes apparent. Factor in another 4 touchdowns on the ground and 5 more from returning kicks. Cordarrelle's value is clear.

     Blessed with true 4.4 speed that is spread through his 6' 2" 220 lbs frame, Patterson is built as an every down receiver. He has scores of 79, 67, and 50, the last two coming on the ground, makes him a big play threat from anywhere on the field. He also has 3 kickoff returns over 100 yards and a total of 24 over 40 yards. Widely considered as the leagues best return man Cordarrelle is a 3 time All Pro selection and is going to his 3rd Pro Bowl later this month.

     Buccaneer GM Jason Licht loves versatile players and Patterson fills three impending needs. First is speed. Head coach Dirk Koetter talked about in his exit presser about getting faster on offense. Second is wide receiver help for Jameis. Although Patterson's number aren't eye popping, I believe that he is not suited for the short and quick passing game Minnesota runs. He would be a much better fit here in Tampa that employs deeper route running and more shots over the top of the defense. Third is the instant upgrade to the kickoff  returns. The Buccaneers ranked dead last in this category in 2016 and the addition of Patterson could take them all the up to 1st.

     Jason Licht will still have to look to upgrade the wide receiver position in the draft but we think that Cordarrelle Patterson is the only and right choice in this year free agent market.

you can also follow us on Twitter @realbucstalk
Thanks for reading and as always Go Bucs!